Syphilis Serology (Blood)

Department

Chemical Pathology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

Treponemal serology, VDRL

Test Code (Numeric Code)

5014

Laboratory Handling

Test Adds Requirement

Use the RCP Test Add function on samples less than 48 hours old; phone the Laboratory to test add if the sample was collected 3-7 days ago.

Sample Stability

7 Days

Synonyms

VDRL

Turnaround Time

4 hours

Available 24 hours

Specimen Type

• Plasma
• Serum

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• Plain (Red Top)

Acceptable

• Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)

Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

4

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• Plain(Microtainer)

Acceptable

• Heparin (Microtainer)

Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

0.4

Pre-testing Requirements

Testing is not performed onsite at Middlemore if the patient is 6 years or younger since the collection is usually a micro-collection. To avoid wasting precious sample on the screening EIA, the sample is referred directly to Te Toka Tumai ACH Laboratory for RPR./TPPA.

Duplicate requests received within 3 days are not tested if the first sample was non-reactive.

Test Method

Principle: Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay - Sandwich principle
Analyser: Roche Diagnostics Cobas e801
Reagents: Elecsys Syphilis

Additional Costing Information

For pricing inquiries, please contact us at + 64 (09) 276 0167

First time reactive samples are routinely forwarded to Te Toka Tumai ACH Laboratory for RPR and TPPA testing, provided serum is available. If initial testing was performed on heparin plasma, a recollect is required in order to perform RPR/TPPA on serum.

Please contact one of the Clinical Microbiologists or the Microbiology Registrar (phone numbers available on Paanui - Phone List) if you would like to discuss further.

Contact Information